Overview
AO Compliance Caseworker – Attack Against the System (AAS) (486R) – Liverpool Regional Centre (L2 0RD)
About the job
Job summary
Discover a career in your hands at HMRC. Whether you’re seeking purpose, growth, or a workplace that gives you a true sense of belonging, hear from some of our employees as they share their story about what it’s really like to work at HMRC.
Visit our YouTube channel to watch the full series and come and discover your potential.
HMRC are the UK’s tax, payments, and customs authority. Our vital purpose is to collect the money that pays for the UK’s public services. We help families and individuals with targeted financial support. Being impartial and increasingly effective and efficient in our administration, we help the honest majority to get their tax right and make it hard for the dishonest minority to cheat the system.
The Customer Compliance Group (CCG) brings all our compliance customer segment directorates into one group: Large Business, Wealthy and Mid-sized Businesses, Individuals and Small Businesses. The group also includes several teams who work across business segments such as Fraud Investigation Service (FIS), Counter Avoidance (CA) and Risk & Intelligent Service (RIS).
CCG ensures that HMRC collects the full and correct amount of money due from UK taxpayers, investigates offenses against the tax system and takes action to identify and mitigate potential threats.
We strive to provide fair, lawful, and impartial service by putting the customer experience at the heart of our compliance work. In CCG we deliver on HMRC Charter commitments by applying the Compliance Professional Standards consistently to all our work.
The detection of fraud is a key responsibility for HMRC, and these roles give successful applicants a chance to get into the heart of identifying and preventing further occurrences.
You will get to work as part of a friendly team, who will invest their time and expertise to develop you further and support your career ambitions.
Please note: in addition to the standard pre-employment checks for appointment into the Civil Service, all candidates must also obtain National Security Vetting at Counter Terrorist Check (CTC) clearance level for this vacancy, prior to take up of duty. Successful candidates will be contacted at point of offer to discuss.
See what it’s like to work at HMRC: find out more about us or ask our colleagues a question.
Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.
Job description
Carrying out checks on tax returns and cross referencing with our bespoke IT systems, you will be well placed to highlight any tax risks; in some instances, progressing these further by proactively contacting customers and their agents for further information, opening enquiries and updating our records as needed, or providing administrative support for colleagues in their interventions.
As you gain experience within the organisation, we will look to you to share your expertise and help develop your colleagues further too. Passing on your customer service experience and role modelling Civil Service behaviours and expectations.
This a challenging and rewarding role that will help build your understanding across a number of key skills, with our full support to help you reach your potential.
Please note that if HMRC has similar roles available from another area of the business after all candidates have been placed to this vacancy, successful candidates may be contacted to see if you would be interested in these roles.
Person specification
You don’t need any existing knowledge or experience of tax in order to apply, but you’ll have an interest in tackling tax evasion and helping our customers to get it right first time.
As detailed previously, you will find a supportive and friendly environment tailored to building your confidence and aptitude.
The key to this role is great communication skills. You will need to feel confident speaking to many different types of customer and agents, in person, electronically and on the telephone, so a good standard of verbal and written English is important. Your strengths in these areas will help provide brilliant customer service underpinned by a proactive approach and a real passion for supporting people.
Other key skills include:
- Resilience – as sometimes difficult conversations with customers are needed.
- An ability to process information quickly.
- Comfortable with basic maths calculations.
This role is not eligible for ‘skilled worker’ sponsorship.
The Home Office has specific rules around eligibility for sponsorship, including a minimum salary requirement of £38,700. In some cases, the minimum can be reduced to £30,960 (via ‘tradable points’) but this role pays below both amounts and therefore is not eligible.
Behaviours
We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Delivering at Pace
- Managing a Quality Service
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £26,637, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £7,716 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs.
We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
To find out more about HMRC benefits and find out what it’s really like to work for HMRC hear from our insiders or visit Thinking of joining the Civil Service.
Hybrid Working
In CCG we offer Hybrid working, however, HMRC is an office-based organisation. There is an expectation that all HMRC colleagues attend one of our regional centres for 60% of their working time in line with business requirements. Where the role is suitable, colleagues will have the opportunity to work from home for two days per week, or more where the business agrees. This includes evening and weekend working.
Please consider the advertised office locations for this role when applying and only select a location from the ‘location preferences’ section that you can travel to.
Working Patterns
We currently work 37 hours per week, covering various working arrangements during HMRC’s standard operating hours between 7am and 8pm, Monday to Saturday. In some areas this includes weekends, evenings (up to 8pm) and some bank holidays.
Alternate / Special working arrangements can be considered, business need will dictate whether your request can be accommodated. The pay and annual leave for the vacancy will be pro-rata for successful part-time/part-year positions.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Strengths.
We know applying for a job can be daunting, but try not to feel concerned, we really are a friendly team and are here to support you.
Application and online tests
To apply for this job you must complete an application form. After submission of your application, you will be invited to complete 2 online tests:
- Civil Service Numerical Test
- Civil Service Verbal Test
We recommend you have access to a desktop computer or laptop and somewhere quiet to do this. You must be successful at each stage to progress to the next test.
Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), the closing date for the tests is 14:00 on 05/09/2025. The online tests for this vacancy are not timed and there are no restrictions on how long you take to complete them, but they must be fully submitted before the deadline above. This is important as we don’t want you to miss out on your opportunity.
You are advised to attempt the tests as soon as practical to do so, to enable any potential technical issues to be resolved before the tests closed. There will be no extension to the deadline for completing the tests. If you fail to complete the online test before the deadline your application will be withdrawn.
The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website. Guidance for the tests will be available when you are invited to take the test.
Please ensure that any technical issues with the test are reported immediately prior to 14:00 on 05/09/2025.
To ensure that all candidates are treated equally, we are unable to accommodate any flexibility against this deadline.
Following completion of both online tests, HMRC will review the number of candidates who have met the required standard. Due to the high volume of applications we typically receive, we reserve the right to adjust the pass mark to manage the number of candidates progressing to the interview stage.
Please Note: If application volumes remain high, we may implement holding pools after the testing stage. This means that some candidates may be invited to interview at a later date, depending on confirmed demand in the location they applied for.
Holding pools will remain active for up to 12 months from the closing date of the advert. However, inclusion in a holding pool does not guarantee an interview or a job offer. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide individual updates regarding your position within the holding pool
Interview
If you are invited to interview, we will contact you via the Civil Service jobs portal to arrange a suitable date and time. (Interview dates to be confirmed)
All interviews are conducted virtually via Teams.
In line with Civil Service Success Profiles, we will be assessing Behaviours and Strengths.
We will ask you to provide examples of how you have demonstrated the below behaviours:
- Delivering at pace
- Managing a Quality Service
You will be asked Strength based questions after the Behaviour questions. These questions are designed to test what strengths you currently have and what strengths you have the potential to develop in the future. We ask the same questions of all candidates, but we don’t give prior indication of what these will be as they are designed to encourage your most natural responses.
Eligibility
Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. We understand mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days (Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we will not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake, please contact us via: complianceclusterrecruitment@hmrc.gov.uk – Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example – ‘Please re-open my application – 423853 & vacancy closing date 05/09/2025.
To check that you are eligible to apply for this role, please review the eligibility information before submitting your application.
Reserve List
A reserve list may be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles – if this applies to you, we’ll let you know via your Civil Service Jobs account.
Please be aware that we cannot guarantee you will be offered a role from the Reserve list you may be placed in.
Criminal Record Check
Applications received from candidates with a criminal record are considered fairly in accordance with the Codes of Practice and the Recruitment of ex-offenders Policy.
Reasonable Adjustments
We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
- Contact the MCTP Recruitment team (mctpcandidatequeries@hmrc.gov.uk) as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
Additional Security Information
Please note: in addition to the standard pre-employment checks for appointment into the Civil Service, all candidates must also obtain National Security Vetting at Counter Terrorist Check (CTC) clearance level for this vacancy. You will normally need to meet the minimum UK residency period as determined by the level of vetting being undertaken, which for CTC is 3 years UK residency prior to your vetting application. If you have any questions about this residency requirement, please speak to the vacancy holder for this post.
Important information for existing HMRC contractual homeworkers
Please note that this role is unsuitable for contractual homeworkers due to the nature and/or requirements of the role.
Working Arrangements
Our roles are 37 hours per week under flexible working arrangements reflecting the agreed Departmental Working Arrangements (DWA). HMRC’s standard operating hours are between 7am and 8pm, Monday to Saturday, when we expect the majority of colleagues to be carrying out their roles. HMRC offers a non-contractual opportunity to work from home for two days per week, where their role allows.
Part-time working opportunities (minimum 22 hours per week covering various arrangements during our opening times) and Special Working Arrangements can be requested. It depends on the business area whether these can be accommodated.
Training
A supportive training package will be provided as part of your induction to HMRC. It will be specifically designed around the roles you will be undertaking, and you will be assigned to a mentor to ensure you are comfortable with your progress.
Please note that during your training period you may be required to work set hours in the office, for a period of 4-6 weeks. This is even if you have an agreed Flexible Working Arrangement in place.
Additional Information
Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Terms and Conditions
Current Civil Servants (all contract types) will need to ensure that they are still employed as a Civil Servant on or beyond the start date for the post. If their contract ends (for example due to the end of Fixed Term Appointment contract or resignation) at any point during the application process for the advertised role, they will no longer be eligible and may be withdrawn.
Customer facing roles in HMRC require the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English and/or Welsh where required. Where this is an essential requirement, this will be tested as part of the selection process.
HMRC has a presence in every region of the UK. For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations.
The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences.
Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant application(s) will be withdrawn from the process.
Recording of interviews is prohibited unless explicit agreement is sought in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulations.
Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
Please note that, if you are applying for roles on a part-time basis, the salary agreed will be pro-rata, reflective of the working hours agreed within your contract.
If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).
See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
